


When Two Became Four...

by Chaotic_phan, thismightbeskye



Category: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Cute, Family, Gay, Gay Parents, M/M, Malec, Other, Shadowhunters - Freeform, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, lgbtq+, parent malec, slight angst, the mortal instruments - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25166878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaotic_phan/pseuds/Chaotic_phan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thismightbeskye/pseuds/thismightbeskye
Summary: Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood, the unbeatable Shadowhunter and Warlock duo, weren't expecting the two new editions in their life. Yet, looking into those big shining eyes of theirs, there was no way they could say no... right?
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood & Max Lightwood-Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

“Darling, I insist on cooking dinner today,” Magnus said. 

Knowing that Alec didn’t stand a chance talking Magnus out of it, he watched him leave their flat to get some stuff to cook. Once Magnus decided on something, he wasn’t going to go back on it; it was something he had learnt from all those years of being with him. A few minutes later, Alec was jolted by the welcoming noise of the buzzer. He sighed and walked over to the door. 

“Who is it?” Alec said as he opened the door. He wasn’t expecting Magnus to be back anytime soon but there he was standing at the entrance and he wasn’t alone. In his arms was a small, blue baby boy, warlock presumably, sleeping peacefully. Magnus, on quite the contrary, looked a mixture of worried and shocked. 

“I-I just found this small boy, stranded on our doorstep outside.” Magnus sounded as if he’d been running. 

“Wait, what the hell!” 

“I couldn’t possibly leave him there; he couldn’t be older than one I’d say,” Magnus explained. 

“Of course not. By the Angel, how long has he been left there?” Alec was mostly rambling by this point. He still couldn’t believe the fact that there was a small baby sleeping, in front of him. “Bring him inside, we need to feed him,” Alec said frantically.

In any other situation, Magnus would instantly try to calm him down but his boyfriend didn’t seem to be handling the shock any better than him. Once they had set the small boy down, Magnus immediately went inside one of their rooms and grabbed a shawl to cover the baby, and Alec reached for the phone, dialling for some takeaway. It didn’t look like Magnus was going to cook a meal anytime soon. 

They decided the best thing would be to let the child sleep for a little longer until he woke up then they could feed him. The small child didn’t look like it was having problems, so both of them thought that it would be easy to look after the small child. Right? They couldn’t be more wrong. As soon as they went over to the baby to check on him, his huge blue eyes suddenly opened, and so did his mouth. The entire room was filled with high-pitched wails, and the two looked at each other in confusion and helplessness. Magnus took the baby in his arms, patting the baby’s back repeatedly to try and get him to fall back asleep. To his dismay, the baby squirmed in his grip and cried even louder. Magnus looked at Alec for some help, something Alec thought he’d never see before, so Alec replied seriously, “I think the baby’s hungry. I mean, who knows the last time when he ate anything, for that matter.”

“Yes darling, I think you’re right.” Magnus set down the anguished baby on a soft piece of fabric and went inside to try and find some ingredients that a one-year-old boy would eat. However, the search was in vain, so Magnus simply decided to conjure something that he imagined the stranded boy would eat. To their delight, the baby looked at the food hungrily and immediately stopped crying after he ate. He managed to fall asleep on Magnus which was one of the cutest sights that Alec had ever seen. 

By the time their takeaway had arrived and they had eaten, the small child was sleeping peacefully, just the way Magnus had found him. He had gone back to holding him in his arms, reassuringly patting the baby lightly on his back. Alec was sitting on the opposite side of the room, facing the window, looking distant. For a few moments, the couple, and the boy, sat in silence. The silence wasn’t as comfortable as it always was between them; there was something waiting to be said. 

“Say, Alexander dear, what if we kept the boy?” Magnus asked. Alec abruptly turned around to look at Magnus’ face, to detect any sort of sarcasm or humour. Magnus, however, was looking quite serious and genuine.

Still, Alec chose to ask, “Are you being serious, Magnus?”

“Let’s face it, this small child probably hasn’t got anywhere to go. I mean, why would he be left on our doorstep if he did? The Clave wouldn't even care that much, because he’s a warlock, by the looks of it.” Alec just looked at him in disbelief.

“But we can’t look after him. I mean come on Magnus we aren’t ready for a child; Chairman Meow is a burden in itself.” 

“We have talked about adopting children before, so why not now?” Magnus asked. 

“Yeah, but we haven’t been serious about it!” Alec sighed in despair. “Look I can’t do this.” His tone started rising, “If you want to keep him so bad then look after him by yourself.” 

“Alexander darling, don’t say tha-” Magnus began, but Alec had already stormed off into one of the guest rooms, slamming the door behind him. Sighing, he looked at the baby, who was awake and looking at him with curious eyes. He understood where Alec was coming from, but he didn’t have it in himself to leave the child. Finally, he put the child down, hoping he could stay without causing trouble for a few moments, and started to walk towards the room where Alec was in. He knocked on the door and then opened it after getting no response, to find Alec sitting with his head in his hands. 

“Honey, what’s wrong? Why were you so agitated by the idea of adopting a kid? We’ve talked about it in the past, and you seemed to be fine with it.” 

Alec replied with a hoarse voice, “I don’t know Magnus, I guess it’s never occurred to me how big of a step this is. Looking at the boy, the innocent boy reminds me of Max, and I just can’t bring myself to be painfully reminded of him every day.”

“Max would be happy for you; he would be proud of you for raising someone like him.”

“But what if he gets replaced by this new kid. Then I would be a selfish brother, and I don’t want to be that. Magnus, you’ve got to understand me,” Alec pleaded.

“I’ve learnt to lose loved ones, but that took a lot of time,” Magnus began grimly, “This will come over time too, and we'll overcome it together. Plus, Max could never, ever be replaced.”

“I-I miss him, Magnus,” Alec breathed as tears started spilling down his cheeks.

Magnus didn’t have anything to say to this, to deny, but instead, he pulled Alec into a tight hug, softly repeating sweet nothings like “it’s okay, honey.” 

“I know, it will be okay,” Alec said softly, but it wasn’t enough to convince himself. Magnus pulled away from Alec and just looked at his tear-stained face. He cupped his face and pushed his lips against the other boy’s. It wasn’t a heated, intense kiss, but instead a gentle, loving one. Alec’s hands slid around Magnus’ neck and pulled him closer. They had forgotten briefly about the baby that was sitting outside, but that was okay because they were going to keep the baby meaning they would always be together from now on. They had each other most importantly. 

And that was what mattered. 

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

“Isn’t he the cutest,” Magnus said as he stared down at the child playing with one of his rings. Alec said nothing in return but smiled to himself. The boy had gotten attached to Magnus and Alec relatively quickly, and only cried when he was hungry, which was a relief. 

“I’m glad I found him,” Magnus said softly. 

“Wait, Magnus, if we’re going to keep him, then we’ll need to ask for approval from the Clave. We can’t just claim this boy as our own,” Alec said. It was the first thing he had said all morning.

“Why it’s not like anyone cares about a warlock child.” 

“Still, though, we shouldn’t take any chances.”

“Yeah, I guess.” 

“Okay, I’ll send a quick fire message to my dad and tell him to wait at the portals in Alicante. You can make a quick portal there, right Magnus?”

“I mean, yeah sure.”

Alec took a sheet of paper and quickly scribbled down a message letting his dad, Inquisitor Lightwood, know about the situation. Then, he took out his stele, drew a quick fire rune, and watched the piece of paper burn and then disappear. Alec put his stele away and turned around to find Magnus laughing with the small boy. They already looked like a perfect family. Alec loved seeing Magnus so happy but there was just something that didn’t feel right. Dismissing this thought, he turned around and looked outside the window, not wanting to disturb the other two. Alec’s train of thought was disrupted by the sound of a fire message. He turned around and quickly picked up the piece of paper, which was the Clave’s approval for them to go to Alicante.

“Magnus, are you ready to make a portal?” His tone suggested something deeper than that; he was also asking Magnus whether he was ready to hear the answer. 

Magnus seemed to have picked up on his meaning. He walked over to Alec and softly kissed his cheek before handing the baby over to him to hold. “Everything will be alright, darling,” Magnus whispered, making sure the baby wouldn't hear them, “There isn’t anything to worry about.”

Once the portal was ready, Magnus was the first to step through. Alec went after him, carrying the baby. He had been familiar with the feeling of going through but it still excited him, boosting him with adrenaline. He held onto the boy tightly trying to make sure nothing happened to him. Before they knew it, they were standing outside the Glass City. 

The pair see Inquisitor Lightwood, Alec’s father, beckoning them to the Gard. Both Magnus and Alec had been in Alicante before, yet the sight of the Glass City took their breath away.

“So are you planning to keep the child?” Robert asked. 

Alec was about to say yes, but Magnus decided to reply with a sarcastic remark; “Nope, Alec and I just decided to bring a warlock child to Idris, a place designed for Shadowhunters.”

Robert sighed in response, “Never mind, we’ll just get going.” Robert led them through the Gard, to the Main Hall, where the Consul and Clave members, who lived in Alicante, came for meetings. When the pair had arrived with the kid, Consul Penhallow was already seated in her chair, clearly waiting for them two. 

“So, Alexander Lightwood and Magnus Bane, you plan on keeping this warlock child?” Consul Penhallow asked. Her voice echoed throughout the hall.

“Yes, we will take full responsibility for the child,” Alec answered, holding Magnus back from making a snarky comment. 

“Since Magnus is also a warlock I do not think there are any concerns.” 

At this, the entire hall erupted with Shadowhunters from various institutes remarking to this. 

“You can’t possibly trust a warlock to look after a child, Consul!” Nasreen Chaudhry, the head of the Indian Institute, shouted. Many Shadowhunters yelled in agreement to this.

Alec paled listening to these comments. Uncertainty crept into his mind. Would they still be able to keep the child? He also wanted to storm out of the hall because he refused to listen to these people insulting Magnus. Seriously, he thought that people would have become more accepting of Downworlders after the Mortal War, but close-minded people still existed. 

“SILENCE!” Consul Penhallow stood up in a fit of rage and looked at all of the angry Shadowhunters in annoyance. “These comments are not appropriate. Anybody who cares to disagree can exit this room right now.” The room turned pin-drop silence; nobody dared to leave the hall. Even Magnus and Alec were shocked to see the usually-calm Consul turn so angry. Regaining her composure, she sat back down and turned to face the couple. 

“Do you both pledge to take good care of this warlock child?”

Both Magnus and Alec nodded in agreement, “Yes, Consul Penhallow, we do.” 

“Then it’s settled. You both may leave the Gard and use the portal to go home. Inquisitor Lightwood will show you both the way back.” Magnus and Alec proceeded to leave, trying not to laugh at all of the appalled faces on their way out. They smiled down at their child.

Robert Lightwood walked with them out of the hall. To break the awkward silence, he said, “So, I guess now you both have a son.” 

Alec looked at his father with a huge smile plastered on his face. “Yes, Dad, you’re now a grandfather.” Robert returned the smile. Although he frowned upon the idea of not having a Shadowhunter grandson, he loved to see his son so happy. All three of them arrived at the portal located just outside Alicante and looked at the Inquisitor one last time. Robert Lightwood took one good look at his grandson, who was playing with one of Magnus’ rings and smiled lightly. 

“Bye Dad,” Alec said before stepping through the portal once again. He watched Robert go back towards the Gard and turned to see their kid. He still wasn’t fully comfortable with carrying him so he insisted that Magnus should, but the small child was looking at him with his steady blue eyes. Magnus took Alec’s hand and they stepped through the portal together.  
All three of them were back in their flat. Alec had already had a shower in the morning before they left so Magnus went as soon as they came back, leaving Alec alone with their small child.  
The baby squirmed in his grip so Alec put him down on the floor. He started to crawl away from him. Surprisingly, the small child was quite fast for a one-year-old but Alec easily followed him to the room where the child was headed. Alec rushed ahead of him to clear away anything dangerous for a one-year-old from the room. Clueless as to what to do now, he watched the boy crawl towards a bunch of toys. The baby pretty much ignored him and did his own thing. The little child picked up the toy soldier, the soldier that had belonged to Max. Alec just watched the boy looking at the toy in awe. Moved by this sight, Alec unconsciously said, “Max.” The baby turned around and looked at Alec with curiosity for a few moments, but then smiled with the biggest grin on his face. 

Magnus stepped out of the shower and went to the room that Alec and their kid were in. He was about to say something to Alec but he stopped himself when he saw the sight in front of him. Alec was holding their child in his arms and they both had the biggest grins on their faces. He had never seen anything more precious in his life. For a while, he watched them in silence before making his presence known. Alec turned around and held their child up, just like how Rafiki the Monkey had held up Simba in Lion King. He simply said, “We’re calling him Max.” Magnus smiled at this and replied, reaching for the baby and Alec, “Max, our little blueberry.”


	2. Chapter 2

The peace and quiet in their apartment only lasted for a short while; soon, the silence was disrupted by wailing. Until now, it had never occurred to them that looking after a child was such a difficult task. Alec had helplessly tried rocking the child in his arms as Max continued crying. He brought the child closer to him, holding him tightly, as he made his way towards Magnus. His boyfriend would probably handle the situation better. Magnus offered Alec a small, slightly sympathetic, smile when he entered the kitchen. Alec didn’t want to bother Magnus while he was in the middle of cooking. He walked to Magnus and pecked him on the lips. Max squirmed and turned around in his grip. Abruptly, the crying ceased. Then, Max stretched out his tiny arm towards the bowl of flour. 

There were a whole load of ingredients laid out on the countertop. Alec realised he had made a mistake bringing Max close to them. Somehow, Max had managed to reach the flour and get it all over his clothes. To make matters worse, the small boy then crawled out of his arms and tipped the bowl, and the bottom half of the baby became covered in flour. Max let out the cutest laugh and flapped around in the spilt flour. Attempting to lift Max resulted in him getting flour on his shirt. Max clung to Alec and put his little hands in Alec’s hair to get a grip. The white flour really stood out against Alec’s black hair. 

Instead of helping Alec out, Magnus laughed as he watched him struggling to drag Max away from the mess. Alec glared at him, which really just looked like a puppy trying to be intimidating. Especially with little Max in his arms, he was the furthest from scary. He tried to stifle his laughter, which of course, failed. Alec pouted at him, in a way that really resembled Max, who was probably upset because he didn’t get to play in the flour. Alec strode over to Magnus and handed flour-covered Max to him. Max easily went over to Magnus. In the end, everyone was covered in flour. They really looked like a sight. 

Magnus still hadn’t stopped laughing, which made Alec laugh too. Max stared at them with his sparkling blue eyes and let out a little laugh. He looked so proud of himself. Magnus looked down at the boy in his arms and smiled with pure adoration. How had he gotten so lucky in life to have two of the most perfect people in the world love him? Magnus turned back to Alec and took in his messy appearance. Despite being covered in flour almost head to toe, he still looked beautiful. He pulled Alec in for a hug while Max still clung onto him. 

“I love both of you so much,” Magnus said. 

Alec didn’t need to reply. Magnus knew he loved them without having to put it into words. He placed his head on Magnus’ shoulder as Max laid on his other one. Alec had his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. Eventually, Magnus pulled away to check on the food, which was still cooking. Alec took Max out of Magnus’ arms to clean him up. He changed Max out of his clothes and wiped his face to remove the flour. Max tried spreading the flour nearly everywhere but Alec was finally successful in getting him cleaned. 

When he went into the dining, he saw that Magnus had already placed the food on the table. Alec grabbed the nearest cushions and piled them on top of each other on a chair. They didn’t have a highchair yet so he had to improvise, and he was very proud of his invention. He sat down next to Max and started feeding him while Magnus cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. Max still hadn’t calmed down after the incident in the kitchen, and to absolutely nobody’s surprise, feeding Max was a struggle. A huge struggle. Max simply refused to eat so he attempted using the aeroplane technique. It ended up in a disaster. Max flicked the spoon causing the food to literally fly away. The child even succeeded in getting some on Alec. Fortunately, he hadn’t changed out of his ruined shirt. 

Alec turned to Magnus, who had approached the room, with an exasperated look. 

“Some help here?” he said. 

Magnus just laughed and walked over to them. Max was oblivious to Alec’s annoyance, busy playing with his food. Magnus took Alec’s seat and wiped the food dripping on Max’s chin. 

“My messy blueberry,” Magnus mummereds. 

Max having heard him, smiled wider. Magnus created faces with the food on the plate which made Max laugh. Max began to dig into the food himself, finding the concept of eating it enjoyable. Magnus simply wiped the food that fell on Max or the table. When Max got bored  
by eating by himself, Magnus started feeding him normally. The one-year-old obediently opened his mouth and accepted the food. 

Alec was headed to the kitchen to inspect its kitchen but he stopped to watch Magnus deal with Max. He watched in awe as Magnus fed him perfectly. The scene in front of him struck him with an overwhelming sense of fondness. He thought it couldn’t get better than Magnus being his boyfriend but this was an entirely different side of Magnus. 

“You’re an amazing dad,” Alec said softly, probably in the fondest tone ever. 

For a minute Magnus looked back at him with the same amount of affection. Then his smile turned into a smirk and he replied, “Haha, I know I am; I am the fabulous Magnus Bane”, shooting Alec a superior glance. Alec huffed and marched away. 

“Alexander, darling, don’t be mad,” Magnus said after him. 

“I’m not really mad, I’m just feigning anger.”

That made Magnus burst out laughing. He picked Max up from the chair and carried him to the end in hopes of putting him to sleep. Max was a pretty hyperactive child and refused to go to sleep until he had completely exhausted his energy. He had to clean Max again before laying him down. He sighed, most of Alec’s earlier efforts were a waste. They probably needed to give him a bath in a while. Max in water was a pain though, he nearly flooded the whole bathroom last time. He might just pile that burden on Alec. 

Alec was currently washing the dishes in the kitchen since it was his turn. Unconsciously, he started humming a tune while his thoughts wandered to Magnus and Max. It had only been two days since Max showed up in their lives and he was already very attached. He smiled at the thought that they would be the ones to observe Max’s firsts. He was already one meaning that soon he would begin talking, walking and then, he’d start learning about his warlock powers. 

Max climbed onto Magnus’ lap and sat there as he played with a stuffed toy. It was a duck, which they had at their flat because of a prank they played on Jace. Magnus cleaned Max’s hair while he was busy playing because Alec had missed some spots of flour there. Suddenly, the duck flew out of Max’s hands and landed on the floor. Max crawled towards the foot of the bed to reach for the toy but he couldn’t reach it. Magnus levitated it and brought it to him as he laughed, calling him, “My clumsy, little blueberry.” 

Max turned around, with the toy in his hands, and tilted his head to stare at Magnus. Then says, in a questioning tone, "Bwoo..bewwy?". 

The plate in his hand was forgotten. He was lost deep in his thoughts. Out of nowhere, he heard Magnus’ voice shouting, “DARLING!!! ALEXANDER, COME HERE RIGHT NOW.”

Alec rushed into the room, almost tripping with fear. He was surprised to face Magnus looking at him with his cat eyes sparkling with happiness. He relaxed, reassured that it wasn’t an emergency. 

“Yes, honey?” Alec said to make Magnus tell him what has happened. 

Magnus announced, "MAX SAID HIS FIRST WORD!” 

Then turning to Max, he coaxed, “Say it again, honey".

Now Max looked at Alec and slowly said, "bwoo..bewwy". 

Then Alec ran in and hugged Magnus, sandwiching Max, and laughed, while saying, "Yes, honey, you are our little blueberry." 

Max smiled up at the two of them, beaming with happiness. Magnus and Alec couldn’t stop smiling because of Max’s infectious grin. Alec gripped Max tighter and lifted him on his shoulders. He squealed with excitement as he suddenly picked up. Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec so they were all entwined. They were a small family of three.


	3. Chapter 3

2 years later…

Alec and Lily Chen walked in the Buenos Aires Shadow Market. Ever since Alec became Consul he was mandated to do one-off checks on various areas, including Shadow Markets. He had visited the Dehli and the Reykjavik Shadow Market, and Buenos Aires was next on his list. Honestly, he felt a little lonely. His boyfriend couldn’t come with him, so he instead asked Lily to come along. Ever since Maia had killed Maureen on behalf of Lily, she had become the head of the New York Vampire Clan, and the hatred between Downworlders and Nephilim had eased after the Mortal War. Lily was surprisingly very friendly for a vampire; she often made jokes and fooled around. It was a clear night sky, with stars dotted around like paint splattered on an empty canvas. No vampire was known to be able to roam in broad daylight, Simon was the only vampire who had been able to, till date. Now that he was a Shadowhunter, there was no doubt that vampires wouldn't be able to stand in the sun. 

Both the adults had now engaged in a deep conversation about peanut, butter and jelly sandwiches, weighing the pros and cons of making and eating one, when Alec spotted a small, weak boy trying to steal some food from one of the stalls. Even though Alec had authority and could have caught him red-handed, he instantly felt pity towards the boy. He clearly was ravenous and by the looks of his scrawny figure, he hadn’t eaten in hours, maybe days. Alec nudged Lily, who was talking about the perfect ratio of ingredients in a PB&J sandwich, and pointed towards the small boy who was running from the stall. Lily looked at the boy with pity, just as Alec had done, and the pair started to walk towards the boy who was now sitting on a step. The moment the child heard the steps of the two adults coming, he stood up, ready to run away. Yet, something in the man’s eyes told him that he wasn’t coming to punish him, so he stayed. 

Alec took a cheese sandwich that Magnus had given him before he came to Buenos Aires to the scrawny child, and the boy devoured it in a matter of a seconds. Alec laughed at the sight of him eating so quickly, and then asked him “Hey kid, what’s your name?”

The kid stopped eating for a second and looked up at Alec in a perplexed manner. “Que?”

Lily, who was also witnessing all of this, immediately understood that the small child did not understand English and spoke Spanish, so she translated Alec’s sentence into Spanish. 

The kid replied, “Rafael. Soy Rafael.”

Alec looked overjoyed to see that the kid wasn’t shy and spoke quite well, so he decided to build a small conversation. 

“Rafael. That’s a nice name. My name is Alec.” Lily loosely translates this for Rafael to understand.   
Alec was going to ask how old Rafael was, but got interrupted by the harsh ringtone of his phone. His screen lit up with Magnus’ name and photo, and Alec’s mood immediately brightened. Even though the couple had been together for the past five years, Alec still felt that spark of love and excitement whenever he was around Magnus. Breaking out of his bubble, Alec noticed that Rafael probably had never seen a mobile phone before, and was trying to see a picture of Magnus’ face. Smiling discreetly, he turned the phone slightly, allowing Rafael to see Magnus better. 

Rafael looked up at Alec, and then Lily, and then asked, “¿Quién es él?” 

Lily replied to him, saying “Él es Magnus, el novio de Alec.” Alec, requiring no translation, understood this and blushed a little. He still felt a bit nervous whenever Magnus was mentioned around him, almost as if he hadn’t deserved such a magical person like Magnus. Alec looked back at the phone, and apparently he had already accepted the call, and Magnus was listening to it all. Alec put the phone on speaker, and Magnus asked Alec to speak to the little boy. 

Alec replied, “I’m trying, Mags, but Rafael speaks Spanish and I can’t understand a word he’s saying, nor can he understand what I’m saying. Lily’s doing her best to translate everything that I’m saying.”

“Oh, I see,” Magnus said, “Alexander, darling, can I speak to the boy. I happen to know quite a bit of Spanish, I did live in Ecuador for fifty years or so.” 

“Sure, Magnus. Go ahead, I’ve kept the phone on speaker, so Rafael’s listening as well.”

Alec turned the phone towards Rafael, careful not to give it to him in case he stole it, so that he could see Magnus’ picture. Magnus and Rafael engaged in a deep conversation, and even though Alec didn’t understand their discussion, he grasped words like “cinco”, which was Spanish for five. He immediately saw Rafael’s face light up by the fluency of Magnus’ Spanish, which was a great sight to see. 

After 5 minutes worth a conversation, Magnus cut the call, and Alec looked at the boy in awe. Then the realisation kicked in. Before entering the Shadow Market, Alec had worn a glamour, and yet Rafael had managed to see him. This could only have meant two things; that Rafael either had the Sight or was an abandoned Shadowhunter. That was when Alec made up his mind. 

Alec asked the five-year-old boy sitting in front of him whether he would like to come and live with him, Magnus and their son Max, in New York. At the sound of Magnus’ name, Rafael immediately started nodding vigorously, and Alec just laughed lightly. It appeared that Rafael liked Magnus more than Alec, even though he had seen Alec first, but Alec just pushed that thought away. Alec looked at Lily, silently asking for a translation into Spanish so that neither Alec nor Rafael made a hasty decision. Lily sighed, smiling, and turned towards the small eager boy. 

“¿Te gustaría vivir con Alec, Magnus y tu posible hermano pequeño Max en Nueva York, la ciudad de las luces?”

Rafael simply stood up, with a huge grin plastered on his face and tears welling up in his hazel eyes, and hugged Alec. Alec was initially surprised by the demonstration of love, but in seconds he loosened up and hugged him back. After what seemed like hours, Rafael broke away from Alec and looked into his bright blue eyes, before giving his definitive answer.

“Si.”


	4. Chapter 4

“I now declare you a wedded couple,” the priest announced. 

The noise around them was drowned out by Magnus’ lips on Alec’s. Alec melted into the kiss as Magnus’s arms went around his neck. He held onto his husband's waist for support as his legs turned to jelly. The ground underneath his feet felt unsteady and yet, at the same time, he felt grounded and certain. Alec wasn’t generally a confident person, but there he was nothing he was more sure of than this. He could proudly claim that Magnus was his husband now. 

The same thoughts were swirling around in Magnus’ mind. It was unbelievable. He had never experienced anything like this his whole life - which was really saying something since he had lived for 400 years. This was a very unlikely relationship and at first, he had doubted whether it would last. Now with the love of his life in his arms, he knew that this would last forever. Nothing in the entire universe could make him forget this. 

Eventually, they broke apart for air. Not wanting to be more than a centimetre apart, their foreheads remained touching. Alec had tears of happiness streaming down his face. Magnus had somehow managed to keep it together. Barely. 

“I love you,” Alec whispered softly. 

“I love you too,” Magnus replied quietly.

Those words were only meant for each other to hear. Although they were out in front of everyone, this was their moment. 

He turned to the crowd, which only included their friends and family because Alec didn’t want an extravagant wedding. Everyone was beaming at them with happiness. Magnus made Alec turn around, so he could see Maryse who wore the proudest look on her face. Their kids also appeared overjoyed. Despite not really understanding the situation, Max had the brightest smile on his face. Rafe had a similar expression. They were a proper family now. A married couple with two kids. Although that sounded normal, in reality, they were different. And Alec had learned that being different wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Alec was a shadowhunter married to a downworlder with a three-year-old warlock child and a seven-year-old shadowhunter. He never wanted anything else. 

They walked down the altar, holding hands. Neither of them was willing to let go of each other. Their kids instantly hugged them once they came close to Clary, who was given the hard task of looking after the two for the time being. Alec bent down and placed Max on his shoulders. The hyper child waved his arms around and bounced up and down with glee. Alec didn’t have it in himself to reprimand him now as he was in such a good mood. Rafe had sat on Magnus’ shoulders while Alec held Magnus’ hand. Both the kids had millions of things to say about the event. Max bombarded them with questions which they gave up answering as he had way too many. 

Before leaving the venue, the couple had to meet every single guest. Everyone congratulated them. When they approached Maryse, she enveloped both of them in a tight hug. Magnus stepped out and held their kids while Alec embraced his mother. More tears escaped. Magnus felt something wet roll down his cheeks as he stared at them. 

“I’m so proud of you,” Maryse said before she let him go. 

“Thank you, Mom,” Alec said, his voice breaking. 

Maryse then pulled Max and Rafe into a hug. She ruffled Rafael’s hair and said, “I have the cutest grandkids ever. I love you both lots. You do know that, right?” 

The kids replied, almost in sync, “We love you too, Grandma.” 

She smiled at them before they made their way to Izzy. Isabella first cooed over the kids saying how they were growing up so fast. Jace went straight to Alec and sputtered some nonsense about how Alec better not ignore him now. Clary, shaking her head, came to Magnus and hugged him tightly. 

“I’m so happy for both of you,” Clary gushed. 

“Thank you, biscuit,” Magnus said, hugging her back. Clary was basically Magnus’ first child, and to feel accepted by someone you’ve watched grow up was a feeling worth a million bucks.

It was quite late into the night when they were finally free to leave. Everyone except the Lightwood-Bane family was exhausted. The guests left by saying some final congratulations and yawning. Magnus and Alec were simply high on happiness. Nothing could have dampened their spirits. Unfortunately, Max and Rafe were also hyper from eating too many sweets. So that’s what happens when you don’t watch over your kids. 

The couple walked, carrying to their kids, through the portal, still holding hands. Magnus and Alec only let go of each other to allow their over-excited kids to run away. They hung back for a minute and shared a fond glance between them. Then, Alec chased after them to drive the kids out of their room. Magnus’ soft laughter merged with the sound of Max’s giggles who was jumping on their bed with Rafe. Magnus joined Alec, who was standing at the door of their room. They watched their kids enjoying themselves, like a happy couple, before shooing them away. 

Rafe stopped playing around and jumped off the bed. Max stopped jumping on the bed and slowly sat down at the edge of the high bed. He made cute little grabby hands towards Alec to carry him. Alec compelled and lifted his blueberry off the bed. Magnus carried Rafe to stop him from running away. The kids squirmed in their tight grips, wanting to be freed. Upon approaching the room, they place the kids down on their bed. Just when the room had quietened down a little, the kids started chanting, “Story, story, story!”

Magnus sighed and said, “You promise me to go to sleep if we read you guys a story.”

“I promise,” they replied together. 

Magnus picked out their favourite book and began by reading, “Okay, so: ‘Once upon a time-’” but Alec nudged him before he could go any further to show him that the kids had already fallen asleep, probably by exhausting themselves. The couple turned to see Max’s small hand loosely clutching onto Rafe’s shirt as Rafael put his arms around the younger one. They placed a soft kiss on the kids’ foreheads. Alec looked at Max and Rafe with all the adoration anyone in the world could muster. They gently laid a blanket over them before leaving the kids in peace. Carefully, the couple crept out of the room, to avoid waking them up. 

As soon as they left, Alec breathed a quick sigh, while Magnus just pulled Alec into a deep kiss. Without breaking the kiss, they made their way into their bedroom. Living with Magnus had made Alec less clumsy which is the only reason why he didn’t accidentally trip. Magnus pushed Alec on the bed, climbing over him while they were still entangled together. Their hands brushed letting Alec feel the physical presence of the ring on Magnus’ finger. He smiled to himself, unconsciously twirling his own ring around his finger. Alec’s hands gripped Magnus’ soft hair and brought his husband closer to him. Magnus broke off the kiss only to attach his lips at Alec’s neck. Alec literally lost himself in the feeling. They hadn’t done anything this intense for a while; they were mainly busy with the kids. This time they had all the time for themselves. 

At the end of the day, Magnus and Alec laid in a tangle of arms and legs. Alec slept on their bed with Magnus’ arms around him. His head was placed on his husband’s bare chest, who was stroking his hair lovingly. The blanket was wrapped around them as cool air wafted in from the open window. In the next room, Max and Rafe were fast asleep, and were snoring lightly, and the couple began to feel drowsy.

Before being consumed by the wave of sleep, Magnus whispered, “I love you, darling.”

“I love you too, Mags,” Alec said back.


	5. Chapter 5

6 months later… 

Ever since Alec had become Consul, he had stayed in his room for hours, clicking away at the computer, making notes and plans for upcoming events. Ever since Alec had become Consul, he had grown more and more distant from his kids. He was never around when they needed him the most. Ever since Alec had become Consul, he hadn’t given enough time to the love of his life, Magnus Bane, and they hadn’t had a proper conversation in days. Magnus couldn’t tolerate it anymore. 

Magnus checked the time on his phone. 15.30. Alec still hadn’t had lunch yet, and Magnus was just done waiting for him. The kids hadn’t eaten either and were playing with Magnus. Rafael was playing catch with Magnus and Max, throwing the ball to Max who was sitting comfortably on Magnus’ lap. When Magnus checked his phone again, he realised he needed to do something about Alec’s late hours. So, he got up, with Max in his hands, and quickly told Rafael, “Hold my hand, toma mi mano, amor”. Then, he set off for Alec’s room across the hall, carrying Max in his right arm and holding Rafael’s hand with the other. 

“Alexander Gideon Lightwood, seems like a lot of work you’re doing there,” Magnus said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Not now, Mags, I’m working on an important project,” Alec replied in a monotone voice. He did seem really preoccupied, but Magnus pushed that thought to the back of his brain. Enough was enough.

“What do you mean ‘not now’; is there even a time where there will be a ‘now’?”

Alec turned around and looked at Magnus. “Come on Magnus, you know that’s not what I mea-” he began.

“You never give the rest of your family enough time! You’re always working!” Magnus was fuming, and he felt like he was going to explode. He put Max down and let go of Rafe’s hand, watching them run away to the living room from the corner of his eye. 

“I’m your husband, I need some time too, let alone the kids!”

“Magnus, babe, I’m working on this really important proj-”

“Don’t ‘babe’ me, Alexander. You married me because you loved me, but now I’m not so sure!”

“Just leave me alone Magnus Bane!” Alec screamed, slamming the door. 

The sound of Alec slamming the door resonated through the hallway as Magnus just stood in front of Alec’s room in shock. He finally turned around to head back to the living room, only to find his five-year-old boy Rafe covering Max’s ears and hugging him tightly, tears streaming down both their faces. The sight of his kids looking so sad broke his heart and filled his mind with guilt. So, he regained his composure, and slowly walked back towards Alec’s room. Magnus was slightly scared because he had seen what Alec could do when he was really angry, but he knocked on his door anyway. 

“Alexander, darling?” Magnus said, in a whisper.

“What do you want, Magnus?” Alec replied, defeated.

Magnus told Alec the whole situation of how their kids were crying at the sound of them fighting. Alec immediately softened up, and got up and hugged his husband. 

“We should go talk to them, Mags, tell them that everything is okay.” Magnus nodded in agreement. 

So the couple, hand in hand, walked to the living room and took a good look at their children’s tear-stricken faces. Then, they hugged the two kids tightly, the four of them inseparable. 

“We’re sorry, you guys, we’ll never fight again,” Alec said, looking at Magnus.

“That’s right, nunca pelearemos de nuevo,” Magnus said calmly, translating Alec’s sentence into Spanish. 

And the four of them were hugging tightly, never wanting to let go. It was Alec who broke the silence.

“Tell you what, I feel like making it up to you guys. So, I’m going to make some paella for lunch.”

At the sound of a Spanish dish, Rafael’s face lit up, and at the sight of his brother’s face lit up, Max’s face lit up as well. Alec silently laughed at the sight of his two happy kids, and got up and went to the kitchen. Magnus, however, didn’t say anything. Instead, he just looked at Alec in awe; Magnus was always the one who would cook lunch and dinner, and for his husband to be cooking filled his heart with love. 

The kids go back to playing catch, while Magnus walks into the kitchen. 

“Tell me, Alexander, when did you learn to make paella? As far as I remember, you don’t cook foreign dishes that often.”

“Yeah I guess, but recently I just felt that maybe Rafael needs a piece of his home with him, and what’s better to do that than food?”

Alec served the warm paella, not too hot and spicy for the kids, on porcelain plates that the couple had received for their wedding. When Rafe received his portion of food, he first took a small bite, to test it. In a matter of seconds, Rafe had started gobbling up his food, with a huge grin on his face that made Alec smile to himself. A child’s approval was the only approval necessary. The rest of the family looked like they enjoyed the food too, except that they were relishing each individual bite. “Wow,” Magnus finally says, “You’ve outdone yourself, Alexander.” Alec turns away from his husband suddenly feeling very shy and flushed; he was still surprised that small compliments from Magnus could make him blush so much. 

Once the family finished their meal, the kids hurried off to their room to play with their toys. With a devilish smirk on his face, Magnus sauntered over to the sink, where Alec was so diligently washing the dishes, and looped his hands around the other boy’s neck, pulling him into a deep kiss. Alec dropped the plate he was washing into the sink in surprise, luckily it didn’t break. Then, forgetting his hands were soapy, Alec grabbed Magnus’ waist in desire, pulling him closer. The couple started kissing more intensely, forgetting that they had responsibilities, simply feeling like teenagers again. 

Alec then became more dominant, pulling away from Magnus and tracing kisses down the other boy’s neck. Magnus moaned in pleasure, clasping Alec’s neck tightly, pulling Alec closer, if that was even possible. Alec’s lips finally found Magnus’ again and the couple both kiss, but this time it was rough and strong. Out of instinct, Magnus started walking backwards, still kissing Alec, and Alec followed. 

The couple eventually found themselves in front of the guest bedroom, and Alec opened the door, not breaking away from Magnus; this wasn’t their first time, but they both certainly wanted it. Using his strong, dominating hands, Alec picked Magnus up and both fell onto the bed, still kissing deeply, Alec on top this time. Magnus’ delicate hands found the hem of Alec’s shirt and pulled it off him. 

Alec pulled Magnus’ shirt off as well, and for a second, the couple just looked at each other. Magnus traced the numerous runes tattooed on Alec’s body as Alec took off his own belt. Their hearts began racing. Magnus proceeded to take off his jeggings, when to their dismay, they heard a crash from upstairs. Sighing, the pair just looked at each other. Alec looked quite disappointed, and recognising this, Magnus said, “It’s okay sweetheart; we have all the time in the world.” At that, Alec just smiled at Magnus and gave him a quick kiss, before both clambered off the bed and started searching for their scattered clothes. They were both perfect for each other, in all the ways possible, and that’s why they loved each other so much.

“Now,” Magnus said, laughing, “We really need to tend to the mess upstairs.”


	6. Chapter 6

With a sigh, the couple walked upstairs to the boys’ room to see what the commotion was. Alec was still sulking and Magnus was just looking at him with pity, feeling slightly disappointed himself. Yes, it wasn’t their first time, but there was something special about moments like that. Something magical.

The couple found themselves in their children’s room, looking at the most unexpected thing that had happened all day. Their 5-year-old Rafael, who was honestly quite mature for his age, was sitting on the sofa at the far end of the room, eyeing a bird feeding her chicks, while their mischievous little 3-year-old Max was picking up and dropping Magnus’ novels, surprisingly by magic. Warlocks weren’t supposed to discover their abilities until the age of 5, so it seemed that Max was a bit of an early-bird in everything. 

Alec was completely shocked, along with his husband, and said frantically, “By the Angel, Magnus.” The couple turned towards Rafe, who had turned around to watch the whole show. Noticing his parents’ shock, he put his hands up in a nonchalant yet exasperated manner and said, “El lo hizo”. Magnus, being fluent in Spanish and many other languages, understood this instantly. He did it. Alec just stood dazed for a second before recollecting his thoughts and turned back towards Max, who was grinning ear to ear. He bent down to get to Max’s level. 

“Hey honey,” he asked softly, “What are you doing with Papa’s books?” 

Max grinned in reply, before demonstrating his newfound ability to pick things up without physically touching them. Magnus’ cat eyes sparkled - he had begun to show them more around his family - at the sight of his blueberry being able to use his warlock powers, but then he eyed the mess in front of Max and released a sigh. 

Rafael, who was sitting upright, wanted to know what the commotion was so he sauntered over to Magnus and asked him “¿Que esta pasando?” Magnus replied cheerfully, “¡Tu hermano ha encontrado nuevos poderes!” Rafe replied with a small “oh” before going back towards the sofa. He always knew his parents had powers, but now that his brother had magical abilities made him feel quite left out. The dejected boy was only 5, so even though he wasn’t afraid of the sight of magic anymore, he still hadn’t got his first runes yet, like the clairvoyance rune that would allow him to see through all glamours without a lot of struggle. 

Alec noticed his frowny face and walked up to his lonely son. He hadn’t told anybody that he had been learning Spanish in the background, not even his own husband, and Alec had learnt enough over the past 6 months of his married life to converse fluently in Spanish. Alec came over and pulled Rafe over as they both went on a small walk in their garden. He told him about the entire Shadow World, from faeries and lycanthropes to ifrits and warlocks, which was what his brother and papa were. Rafe listened intently, his face lighting up at mentions of his papa’s adventures in helping save the world using his magical powers. 

Alec felt like a proud father, a feeling that he hadn’t felt in a long time because it wasn’t only Rafael who felt left out; Alec was also feeling quite distant recently. But obviously, he told no one and simply put up a facade; he didn’t want to burden his husband with his stupid thoughts. While Alec was on the topic of Shadowhunters, he showed the curious Rafe his runes, who gasped in awe and delight, telling him that he could get them when he turned 10; “Puedes conseguirlos cuando seas mayor.” But there was one particular rune that caught Rafe’s eye, and that was the parabatai rune. Alec briefly explained how it works, how there was one special person whom you willingly tied yourself to. He told the inquisitive child about his Uncle Jace, saying that one day he’ll maybe have someone like that too and that it was okay if he didn’t.

Alec and Rafael went back up to the kitchen where Magnus had kept some snacks for the hungry kids. He gave Rafe a chocolate chip cookie, which he received gladly, and had kept a blueberry yoghurt ready to give to Max. But Max was a little too eager, and with his newfound powers, he tried to reach for the yoghurt. Obviously this ended up a disaster, as the little boy accidentally dropped the levitating yoghurt onto the floor. Instead of being mad, Magnus and Alec just laughed at the small baby and his clumsiness. Magnus bent down to gather the broken bits of the yoghurt pot, while Alec went to get a napkin to wipe the floor with. 

Rafe was witnessing all of this from the sidelines where he was innocently nibbling on his cookie. What a wonderful family the three of them look like. Rafe had been learning English from Lily Chen, the leader of the vampire clan in New York, so he willed himself to think in English too. The small boy couldn’t help but think why he was there; the family was so perfect without him. He wasn’t jealous of his younger brother, but he had wondered quite frequently the reason as to why his parents had adopted him.

Munching on his cookie, Rafael saw his papa baby-talking to Max while his dad was tickling him. They looked so happy together, and it hurt the 5-year-old boy. He didn’t want to be considered as the extra burden in the family. Finishing his cookie, he dusted off the crumbs on his jeans and proceeded to go upstairs to his room silently. Little did he know that Alec was aware of his small boy who was feeling dejected and left out, and ran to stop him from leaving.   
“Where are you going, mi amor? You’re part of this familia too,” Alec asked. He had taken into practice to embed Spanish words into English phrases when speaking to Rafe.

Rafael tried to reply but struggled to find the right words. All Alec could decipher from Rafe’s mumbles were the words “powers”, “perfect”, “three” and “family”. It was then that Alec understood what was going on in the small child’s brain; Rafe didn’t feel included in their family. So, Alec bent down to get to Rafe’s level, held his cheek and said, “Tu también eres parte de esta familia, mi cielito; you are part of this family too.” At that, Rafe’s eyes started watering, so Alec pulled Rafe into a warm, reassuring hug. He kept repeating sweet nothings, but the sentence that Rafe could make out was, “Solo cincos años más, Rafe, solo cincos años más.”

Only 5 more years, Rafe, only five more years.


	7. Chapter 7

Time had passed since their wedding, and things were back to normal. Except for Alec. 

It had been a gradual build-up. Alec had stored his feelings about this inside for too long. At first, he had brushed off the fact that Max and Rafe rushed to Magnus instead of him. After all, Max was a warlock and, probably, felt more comfortable around Magnus, who was also a warlock. Rafael found it easier to interact with Magnus as they both spoke Spanish. However, even after a year, he felt that kids still hadn’t warmed up to him. He noticed that whenever either of them had any worries, they would consult Magnus. Eventually, Alec started to feel like an outcast rather than a part of the family. 

As a result, he didn’t think the kids needed him. So the best thing he thought he could was distancing himself away from them. And so he did. Obviously, he still carried out the role of a dad and offered them all his love. Although, he continued thinking that his love was not reciprocated. Magnus, Max and Rafe were his whole world. Alec wanted to be the sun in his kids’ world but instead, he hid in the sun’s shadow; the way he had done his whole life. 

He watched Magnus play with the kids as he cooked in the kitchen. They were crowded around his husband, urging him to show them magic, which the kids were fascinated by. That was another way in which Magnus was better than him for the kids. As he demonstrated something with his magic, the sounds of the kids’ squeals of delight resounded in the apartment. Magnus wasn’t holding back his smile either. Alec tried to fight the tears that stung his eyes. He quickly turned around, plastering a smile on his face. No one looked up, or so he thought. Out of the corner of his eye, Magnus was watching Alec. He observed the facade Alec had put up. A part of his heart broke when he saw a tear slip past his eyes. Alec, unknowing that his husband had seen him, wiped it quickly as if it was nothing. 

Alec pretended to be alright all throughout dinner. He wondered whether he had even convinced himself that everything was alright. Maybe nobody else would have particularly noticed his odd behaviour but Magnus, being his husband, immediately realised something was wrong. Right after dinner, Magnus decided to confront him about it. Magnus held a belief that people shouldn’t sleep on an argument or any problem really. Alec finished eating first, and rather than waiting for everyone to finish, he simply started gathering the empty plates. He had a faraway look in his eyes which indicated that he was thinking again. Overthinking, probably, knowing him. Magnus sighed. It hurt him to see Alec in pain. He bit his lip, a nervous habit that he’d never gotten rid off. He had to speak to Alec before it blew out of proportion. 

Soon after Alec, Magnus also finished his dinner. He cautiously walked into the kitchen, without making any sounds, trying to observe Alec from far away before he could hide. And, there Alec stood with a vacant expression on his face. He cautiously called out Alec’s name to alert him of his presence. Alec broke out of his trance and turned to Magnus with a bright smile on his face, which to Magnus’ disappointment, did not reach his eyes. 

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Magnus decided to ask, getting straight to the point. There was no point in tiptoeing around Alec, he needed to get to the bottom of this problem. They had faced similar issues in the past, like any couple, but Alec had looked so much happier lately that it hadn't even occurred to him that there could be something bothering him. 

“Nothing, babe, don’t worry about it,” Alec replied in a cheery tone that sounded fake even to him. 

Magnus stepped forward and placed his hand on Alec’s cheek. He slowly traced circles with delicate touches of his fingers before pulling his husband in for a soft kiss. Once he pulled apart, Magnus rested their foreheads together trying to keep Alec grounded. Also, to stop him from being swallowed by the storm cloud of doubt in his head. “Please tell me what’s bothering you,” Magnus said softly. 

“I- I,” Alec tried to speak, but his voice came out too shaky. He didn’t even realise that a few tears had leaked until Magnus brushed them away. 

“Why don’t we go to our room then you can tell me?” Magnus suggested. He steered Alec to the room with him and closed the door behind them once Alec had settled on the bed. He could hear the kids running around the house; although, it was time for them to go to sleep soon. But a bit of extra time wouldn't harm anyone, he assumed. With the kids’ whereabouts confirmed, he turned his attention back to Alec. 

He sat next to Alec on the bed and held onto his worried husband’s hand. Magnus turned to face Alec just as Alec turned to him. 

“Well, um, so basically,” Alec stammered, unsure how to communicate his thoughts. In the end, he simply decided to forget it, “It’s no big deal, now that I think about it, it’s stupid.” 

“Alexander, your thoughts and feeling could never be stupid to me,” Magnus reassured. 

Alec took a moment to seek comfort by looking at his husband’s familiar face. He looked into his reassuring, kind eyes, and decided that it would be better if he opened up to Magnus. 

He looked away before beginning to speak. “Sometimes I feel that I’m not enough for Max and Rafe,” he spoke slowly, trying to sort out the thoughts in his head into coherent words, “I love them more than my entire existence, but over the years I’ve noticed that you’re a much better father than me and I don’t think they could love me as much” Alec finally confesses. He instantly buried his face into his hands, mumbling something along the lines of: “By the Angel, that sounds so selfish.”

For a moment, Magnus was too shocked to react. He hadn't imagined in his whole life that such worries would pester Alec's brain. He had envisioned a thousand other issues, even worst-case scenarios such as Alec leaving him. When he realised that Alec still wasn’t looking at him, he placed his hand under his chin and tilted his face up to stare at him. 

“You’re part of this family; you’re their father too, Alexander,” Magnus said in a soft but firm tone. “You raised them up, of course, they love you.” He pulled Alec in for a hug and let him nuzzle into the crook of Magnus’ neck. Magnus felt his shirt getting wet as a few tears soaked into it. 

“Plus, who couldn’t love my perfect boyfriend, no sorry, I meant husband.” 

Alec pulled away for a second and intensely stared right into Magnus’ eyes. Then, he whispered in a husky voice, “Aku cinta kamu, Magnus Bane.” 

Magnus just chuckled and pulled him closer in a tight hug. They stayed like that for a while, until Alec’s breath slowed down and deepened. Cautiously, Magnus pried himself out of Alec’s grip to go check on the kids. He laid him gently down onto the bed, being careful not to jostle him too much. However, Alec managed to scare the hell out of him when he mumbled something in his sleep. All thoughts of not waking him up flew out of the window, Magnus went to place a soft kiss on his forehead: he looked too adorable to resist. 

He stood outside Max and Rafe's room hearing them scramble around to get into bed as they heard his approaching footsteps. They should have been asleep ages ago, but he really didn’t have it in him to scold them. He opened the door and walked inside trying to tame his expression to neutral when he saw them pretending to sleep. 

Magnus gently sat at the edge of the bed, stroking Rafe's hair and whispered, “I know you’re awake.” 

He was met with more silence until Max finally broke it by giggling. 

“No, Max, I told you not to laugh,” Rafe sighed, his Spanish accent slipping but not fully audible. 

The smaller child, unable to stop himself, giggled more loudly. Magnus felt the corners of his mouth turn up even though he was trying to be a stern father. He tried to quieten Max and Rafe, afraid that the commotion would wake up Alec, who deserved to rest. 

“Come on, go to sleep you don’t want to wake up daddy now, do you?” 

The kids both solemnly nodded. He tucked them into bed and kissed their foreheads. Just as he was about to move away, he remembered to add something.

“Rafe and Max, can you make sure that daddy plays some magic games with us as well? You know, he’s actually quite good at magic,” Magnus said hopefully, trying not to sound too serious. 

“Yes, we’ll hug daddy all day,” Max mumbled happily. 

Magnus smiled to himself and walked out of the room still smiling. 

In their room, Alec was still sound asleep with a small smile on his face. Magnus slipped underneath the duvet beside Alec. Alec’s arms instantly wound up around his waist, spooning him. 

“I thought you were asleep.” 

“I missed my warmth.” 

Magnus laughed softly. “Well, I’m here now.” 

After weeks of interrupted sleep, Alec finally fell into a deep slumber with a smile still lingering on his face. Magnus looked just as happy, if not happier. At that moment, Alec believed that he was loved and nothing could convince him otherwise. Magnus would make sure of that.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunlight filtered through the blinds slightly illuminating the otherwise dark room. Magnus blinked his eyes until they adjusted to the brightness. Then, as if a switch had been flicked on, the sound of cars moving on the streets of New York came rushing to his ears, making him more awake. He let out a cat-like yawn, his arms reaching up to stretch but were stopped by a hand appearing out of the lump to grip him. Due to his disoriented state, he almost let out a scream, which would have been loud enough to wake the dead; however, he realised in time that the lump was Alec. 

Magnus smiled down at the lump. He assumed at some point during the night Alec had managed to hog all the blankets - no wonder he woke up with goosebumps on his arms - and curled up in a ball. He decided to let Alec sleep for a little longer considering how tired he had looked the past few days but thought it would be best for him to go check on the kids sooner rather than later. However, he was obstructed once again by Alec. As he was being pulled back down, he heard mumbling coming from the lump. The only words he caught were: ‘come, warmth’ and ‘still sleepy time’. The moment Alec groggily pulled Magnus against him and snuggled by his side, Magnus’ resistance crumbled. He forgot all thoughts of leaving the bed, letting his husband use him as his human pillow. He closed his eyes, blocking the rays, and smiled to himself, knowing that he could wake up every day to this sight every morning. ‘Not every morning though’, he thought grimly. But he let the morbid thought get out of his head and continued to lovingly look at his sleepy prince.

They laid in bed together, past their usual arising time, enjoying the short-lasting peacefulness because the moment Magnus bowed to the clutches of sleep the couple were disturbed. The couple, well Magnus at least, was jolted awake by not just his kids shouting “Wake up!!”, but also Max and Rafe climbing on the bed and jumping. Eventually, Magnus hauled himself off the bed along with the kids who continued jumping around. Noticing that Alec, his beloved lump, had not moved, Magnus went to open the blinds letting the light bath the room. 

“Nooo, I don’t want to wake up,” Alec groggily mumbled and buried his head under the pillow. Magnus sat next to his husband, trying to move him out of bed to no avail. Alec’s lethargic behaviour probably put shame on a particularly sluggish demon he had once encountered. Max and Rafe seemed to have made it their purpose to bother their lazy dad: they started chanting zoo enthusiastically just as Alec tried to go back to sleep. 

Magnus smiled at kids, not being able to resist their large puppy eyes. Not that he was going to contradict them anyways, he also very much thought the family needed an outing. He turned to Alec discerning whether he would be getting a response from him. Alec slackly blinked open one eye, flinching slightly from the onslaught of light, and looked at the kids. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Alec drawls, his voice gruff from sleep. Then, he instantly buried his head back underneath the blanket, wrapping it around him like a cocoon. Magnus concluded that Alec wasn’t going to leave the comfort of the bed anytime soon, but maybe he could be persuaded by a delicious breakfast. First, he made the kids get ready who despite getting up ages ago were still filthy. Magnus completed his morning ritual while Alec slept soundly. Once he was in an acceptable state, he stirred the kids away from the room, directing them to take a seat while he cooked something up. Max and Rafe chattered away amongst the two of them as Magnus started preparing. He had made sure that the door of their bedroom remained open; so the smell of food reached Alec, forcing him to fully wake up. Once again, Magnus’ genius scheme was successful. 

Sturdy, strong arms snaked their way around Magnus’ waist almost making him drop the pancake which was mid-flip. Magnus jumped a little although he knew it was only Alec. He composed himself and turned to face his husband, who was falling asleep leaning on Magnus’ body. “Good morning Alexander, my sleeping beauty has finally woken up,” Magnus teased softly. In response, Alec puckered his lips trying to give his husband a good morning kiss, but Magnus wasn’t having any of it; he pushed Alec away and drove him away with the flipper in his hand. “No, go freshen up first your breath stinks,” he squeaked. A deathly glare was sent his way, but he just laughed it off. 

Eventually, everyone was seated for the delicious breakfast produced by Magnus. They ate their food while discussing the plan for the day ahead. Going with the zoo plan to satisfy the restless children. Alec decided that they could leave in a few hours, around midday. That left them a good lot of time to dress in outside clothes. The kids got ready hours early, not having even one ounce of patience. 

After clearing the mess on the dining table, the two adults also went to change. While throwing on another shirt of disputable fashion sense (as pointed out by Magnus a million times.) Alec voiced a thought that had been pestering him, “there haven’t been many adventures recently, I can't help but think of this as the calm before the storm.”

Magnus could tell that Alec was quite serious about this, but he wasn’t in the mood to take anything seriously; “I think it’s because we’re finally free of that troublesome blond.” 

“I keep getting this weird fe-” Magnus cut Alec’s rambling off with a kiss. 

“Don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen, plus, we’re more than qualified to deal with it. Enjoy this trip with Max and Rafe, Alexander,” Magnus reassured. That finally shut Alec up who smiled, shaking his worries off. 

By midday, the Lightwood-Bane family was out of the house. Upon reaching their destination, the Central Park Zoo, Max tried to run off to the nearest animal but was held back by a concerned Alec, who picked the small boy up not trusting him to stay safe in the crowd. They began from the entrance and visited almost every animal on the way - except for bats, because the moment they approached the bat cave, Max cowered behind Alec - receiving ooh and aahs from the kids.

On their way, they encounter a seal feeding event which Rafe absolutely insists on attending thus ending up spending around thirty minutes with seals. Both the kids manage to have their turn feeding, fortunately. To Alec, the best part wasn’t the observing the seals; instead, it was the way Max’s face broke out into a wide grin, saying, “Daddy look that you, there Papa ‘n’ me ‘n’ big bro Rafe.” Max was pointing to two seals that were huddled together playing around, while two seals protectively stood at the back. Alec laughed softly and agreed with him. 

After visiting various other animals, they decided to take a break, hearing the kids’ stomachs rumble. Magnus playfully poked Max’s tummy, which let out the loudest sounds, causing Max to let out a giggle but was drowned out by another grumble. Everyone fell out laughing at that and rushed to the nearest food place to satisfy their hunger. They ended up entering the Dancing Crane Café. 

“So what do you two want?” Alec asked, directed at the kids whose mouths were watering from the smell of food. 

“Burger,” Max demanded angrily. The response was expected since Max is a picky eater. Alec simply nods and turns to Rafe. 

“What about you?” 

“I’ll go for the same thing as Max, maybe we can share.” Alec raised an eyebrow at Rafe’s obedience. Whenever Rafe replied maturely, he always saw a bit of himself in his son; he always adjusted to his surroundings. 

“You absolutely sure Rafe, you don’t want anything different?” Rafe nodded warmly in response, making Alec reassured that his son genuinely wanted a burger, not just because of his younger brother. 

Alec ordered a burger for the kids and two wraps for Magnus and himself at the till. It doesn’t take long for the food to be prepared much to their gratefulness. The kids gobble away at their food as soon as they receive it. At first, Alec thought it wouldn’t be enough, but both Max and Rafe seemed quite full after eating. Despite feeling content by having had the burger, the kids curiously eyed the wraps. Then, Rafe turned to Max, and as they turned back to the couple, there was an apparent glint in their eyes. Without saying anything, they pout at their parents (probably having realised that pouting and making puppy eyes literally always works). Magnus and Alec notice the adorable stares and try hard not to succumb, fail, and end up offering them a bite. 

Newfound energy seemed to have manifested in the kids after having lunch. As soon as they stepped out of the cafe, Rafe caught sight of the ruffed lemur and rushed ahead to admire it. This caused the couple with Max in tow to run off after him. Rafe doesn’t even blink an eye when Max creeps up beside him, apparently having a staring contest with the animal. He finally turns to acknowledge his family excitedly pointing at the ruffed lemurs, his eyes lighting up with glee. Once even the lemurs go into hiding underneath the numerous obstacles and toys laid on the field the couple manage to drag Rafe away, only to be stopped again in a short while. 

This time it was Max who rushed off in excitement, at the sight of the polar bear. Max stared in awe at the animal, making big gestures with his arms to represent the size of the polar bear. Soon a crowd started to gather around the polar bear blocking little Max’s view. Max himself took the initiative to find another animal, not wanting to mingle with strangers since he had always been shy to some extent. 

In the end, due to over-excitement, their energy was quickly exhausted. Noticing that both Max and Rafe were drained, that they were leaning on Magnus and Alec for support, the couple decided to end their trip for the day. Despite being tired, the kids still had bright smiles on their faces which lit up Alec’s day. Magnus and Alec had also found entertainment in watching the animals, especially Alec, who had never done anything so mundane. From that moment, Alec thought to himself that it might not be a bad thing to take a break from Shadowhunter stuff and do something like this again with his family. Not that he would ever say that to Isabelle and Jace; he still had a reputation to maintain. Obviously.

As they walked towards the exit with the kids being carried in Magnus and Alec’s arms, Rafe spotted a mysterious man watching their family from the side. Typically, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but this particular man gave him an uneasy feeling. He took quick glances towards the man, trying to distinguish the face under the hood. The uneasiness still lingered, so Rafe told his parents of the man’s presence; however, when they attempted to locate the person, they couldn’t find a trace. 

“It’s alright, it could have been nothing, but it would be better if we got home quickly,” Alec said. The adults decided to dismiss it but remained wary, trusting Rafe's words. 

Fortunately, they got home without facing any trouble. The kids had to be carried all the way because their small legs had started aching from walking not that the couple minded. Upon getting home, Magnus let the kids rest for longer. 

“This was good, the kids really enjoyed themselves,” Magnus stated, kissing Alec’s cheek softly. 

“Hmm, they deserved it,” Alec replied, putting his arms around Magnus and trapping him in an embrace. He kissed back on the mouth. They stayed in the hallway, swaying to slow imaginary music until the kids stirred and began to make disgusted noises. 

The couple laughed and broke away, heading towards their half-asleep kids and pulling them all in for a big hug. 

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	9. Chapter 9

The next day was equally sunny. Rafe and Max were awoken by a gentle nudge given by their parents, who had already woken up and eaten. The two brothers trudged groggily to the bathroom to brush their teeth and have a bath. Having a bath was Max and Rafe's favourite activity; the soap, the bubbles, all of that excited them and made the boys so happy. They would spend almost an hour playing inside the bath tub, getting out of it feeling playful and fresh. After a long discussion, Alec and Magnus decided that it was Alec's turn to bathe their kids (a lot, and I mean a lot of maths was involved). After around 45 minutes, the three came out of the bathroom. The two smiling brothers looked clean and bright, while Alec slowly walked outside with numerous water stains visible on his black shirt. As the kids went to their room, patiently waiting for their papa to help them get dressed, Alec slowly walked to Magnus, who was smirking and stifling a laugh. 

"Don't you dare laugh, Mags," Alec warned, trying (and failing) to put on a stern voice. 

That was the breaking point for Magnus. He let out a big laugh, looking at Alec's face and clothes. Alec simply sighed, although when Magnus' beautiful face was lit up with happiness, it was hard to resist laughing himself. So, Alec turned away reluctantly, to hide his smile, and went into the kitchen to make the two of them some coffee and breakfast for the kids as Magnus headed to their kids' room, still giggling lightly. 

After about 20 minutes of struggle and Max’s attempts of running away from his papa, Magnus finally managed to get his two energetic kids into some clothes. Alec had diligently kept the highchair for Max beside Rafe’s normal chair, and kept their cereal in front of them. Max always teased Rafe whenever he sat in the highchair because he was at a higher level than his older brother, but Magnus would defend Rafe saying that he was a big boy, which made Rafe secretly feel smug. The argument always remained unfinished. 

The two hungry boys devoured their food, despite their concerned dad telling them not to eat too quickly because they could get sick, and hurried out to play. Rafe grabbed the tennis ball from his room and headed down the stairs and outside, where Max was already waiting. He wasn't tall enough to open the door but Rafe was (only when he stood on his tiptoes), so with some effort the door opened and the boys headed outside.

For some time, the two small brothers played catch. Rafe, because he was older, caught the ball more times than his younger brother did, and Max would usually end up falling down lightly in an attempt to catch the ball or throwing the ball in the wrong direction. Still, they had tonnes of fun playing catch. After about half an hour of playing, a man caught Rafe’s eye. Usually there would be loads of people walking, without the time to notice Max’s blue skin and horns, but the space in front of their house was an alleyway, carefully planned to not let anybody enter. However this man was leaning against the corner of the alleyway, looking directly at the boys playing. Max had his back facing the man, but when he turned around to get the ball he noticed the man too.

With some struggle to form the sentence, “It’s the zoo man! Zoo man!” Max cried. So that was where Rafe had seen this man before, in the zoo they had gone to as a family yesterday. Rafe, breaking out of his thought bubble, turned away and was about to call Max to stay away but Max was already heading to this mystery man, to his older brother’s dismay. With a sigh, Rafe ran towards his careless younger brother as he was his older brother and should be taking care of his sibling. At least that was what he believed. 

The man, in spite of the feeling of unease that Rafe had felt yesterday, had a big welcoming grin at the sight of two small boys, and knelt down to get to their level. Rafe felt visibly uncomfortable, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it, but Max had easily bonded with the stranger and immediately struck up a conversation. 

“Hello,” the mysterious man said with quite a deep voice, which didn’t suit him at all. It sounded really similar to the booming voice that they heard at the start of the movies at, what was it called, the ‘Vue Cinemas’ their family had gone to when they went to England recently. This mildly startled the kids, and while Rafe’s sense of distress heightened, Max just burst into a fit of giggles. 

“What are your names?” the man asked, in a little less of a frightening tone.

Rafe opened his mouth to whisper to his little brother and tell him to not talk to this man, but Max had already started answering.

“My name is Max and this is my big brother Rafael,” Max began. He then started to talk about his age and his favourite hobbies. While Max was speaking, Rafe’s could see that the man was eyeing the smaller boy’s blue skin and horns which only made him more suspicious. Max then started to talk about their parents, in a very proud tone. Rafael could not have been in a worse situation. As he watched Max reveal personal details to the stranger, Rafe stayed in the background silently praying to the angel Raziel that Max would stop giving information to the random person. 

At the back of his mind, he was thinking of his parents' disappointment towards him when they would find out that Max had been engaging in a conversation with a stranger and that Rafe had failed in protecting his younger brother. Shouting, screaming and utter chaos. No, no that can’t happen; he didn’t want to be the cause of his family being broken apart. It was then that he decided that he would take full responsibility and try and get his parents not involved in this.

*************************************************************************************************************

“Alexander.”

“Alexander, I’m bored,” Magnus whined.

Alec had been holed up in his room doing some random ‘leader work’, as Magnus liked to call it, and hadn’t come out for hours. So he finally went into his husband’s room and saw him engrossed in his work. 

“Oh hey Mags,” Alec said, distracted.

“Whatcha doing?” Magnus inquired (not actually having any intention to know) with a playful tone.

Alec sighed and turned to Magnus. “I have this extremely long project due in two days and I’ve only done half of it.”

“Well if it’s due in two days and you still have a half to do, then couldn’t you do the second half tomorrow?” 

“Yeah I guess I could, but I just wanted to finish everything today so I can have a completely free day tomorrow.”

Magnus sighed, went over to Alec and sat on top of him, draping his arms over his shoulders. 

“Darling, you should know by now that there definitely isn’t going to be anything tomorrow; you’re a Shadowhunter. What happens if an emergency happens tomorrow, or you, the Consul, is called for immediately? Sooner than you know, you’ll be 50 and I’ll, well I’ll still be beautiful, but our kids would have grown up and would have gone places and we wouldn't be able to do the things we want to do now.”

Alec just stared at his husband in awe, before pulling him into a deep kiss. With a husky voice he whispered, “I’m sorry Magnus, I’ll stop now.” 

After a short bit of silence, Magnus hinted, “You know, the kids are out and there’s no one at home…. So?”

Alec replied with a smirk before heading to the door and shutting it. 

*************************************************************************************************************

“Listen I’m sorry to interrupt you both but it is getting quite late and our parents really must be wanting us home,” Rafe managed to say.

While dragging his younger brother home, who was definitely not pleased with the situation, he scolded Max (lightly).

“Max, you know you shouldn’t talk to strangers!”

“B-But Rafe we saw this man yesterday so he isn’t a stranger!”

Groaning, Rafe replied, “Well neither Papa nor Daddy know this man and he might be dangerous.”

This argument went on for ages. Somehow the siblings had managed not to draw any extra attention from the other pedestrians. Finally, Rafe reached up to the door bell and rang it. Magnus opened the door in an unusually good mood, but Rafe didn’t want to question.

“Had fun you two?” Alec called out from the back. For some reason he was panting and his shirt was inside out. Huh. 

Max didn’t seem to notice any of this, and angrily replied, “Yes, but Rafe-” The rest of his sentence was muffled by Rafe’s hand. Rafe continued, “We were playing catch and the ball went on the other side of the road, and Max wanted to get the ball but I got it first, which is why Max is angry.” Max looked at his older brother confused, but Rafe was glaring at him so he decided not to persist. The brown-eyed kid was extremely surprised at himself for being able to make up stories that quickly. Maybe he should become a writer. A writer and a Shadowhunter actually. 

The time flew quite quickly; nothing much was spoken at dinner, except the fact that Magnus and Alec were still in a very good mood. Rafe was contemplating whether to question or not, but he chose the latter. 

When the boys were tucked in bed, Max sleepily mumbled to Alec, “Daddy, I made a friend today,” with a bright smile on his tiny face. Rafe mentally face-palmed, slightly angry at Max for breaking their cover, despite everything he had told his younger brother. Alec, being curious as to who it was, asked the little blue-eyed boy but Rafe instantly replied, “It was one of los niños, the kids who live on our street,” concealing his nervousness and haste with a smile. 

As soon as Alec had left the room, Max was already fast asleep, snoring lightly. Rafe looked up at the ceiling, sighing. Boy, this was going to be an adventure.

*************************************************************************************************************


	10. Chapter 10

It was another day and another encounter. The kids were playing outside again, which had become part of their routine since the weather had improved. It appeared that the particular day they were engrossed in a game of 'hide and seek', unfortunately, soon to be disrupted. Rafe had let his guard down, allowing himself maximum enjoyment, since it was one of his favourite outdoor games. The same couldn’t be said about Max, who was distracted; not even attempting to hide properly much to Rafe’s annoyance (though he tried not to show it). 

It was too late by the time it occurred to him why Max’s was distracted. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure approaching from the shadows. Max, who had seen the man first, rushed ahead; although it was his responsibility to search for Rafe this round. The older one wondered what would have happened if he silently continued hiding. Being the responsible brother, Rafe had to hurry after Max once again. Much to his distress, it was none other than the nameless stranger. Max frantically bounced and waved to him; smiling, the stranger came over. 

“Hey, kiddos, how are you?” he asked in a sickly sweet voice which, it seemed, only Rafe had picked up on because Max answered straightaway. 

“We’re gweattttt,” Max chirped.

“How have you been?” Rafe added for the sake of politeness; although he should probably have been trying to stop this conversation, not drive it onwards. 

“Oh, splendid, I was wondering about you guys even when I didn’t come to meet you.” Something about the stranger’s tone sent a small shiver down his spine. Cutting short Rafe’s thoughts, the stranger asked a question, addressed to both of them, “Has anything special happened recently?” 

Rafe - unwilling to feed him any details - was about to weave a lie, but Max interjected in a matter-of-fact tone, “Oh, yees we went to zoo with Daddy and Papa as Daddy was free, he's vewy busy.” 

Hearing about the zoo trip caused a grimace to appear on the man’s face, but it was covered immediately.

“Yes I can imagine your dad must be very busy, what does Papa do?” 

The man seemed to have an unlimited inventory of enquiries. For a moment, Rafe was rattled that the man was aware of his dad’s profession, but it occurred to him that almost everyone knows his dad as the counsel. 

“Papa does magic,” Max exclaimed excitedly. Another expression passed over the stranger's face so quickly that Rafe's observant eyes didn’t catch it. Almost. Thinking back at it, Rafe could only describe the expression as wistful. 

Meanwhile, at the flat the couple were indulging in activities they wouldn’t take part in with the kids at home. Unfortunately, it probably wasn’t what most would imagine; although it did involve thirsting over each other. Alec, due to his parent duties and work, had been falling behind on training. Additionally, from fear of accidentally hurting the kids, Alec being paranoid as Magnus chided, training did not take place around Max and Rafe. They had checked on the kids once while they were playing catch, but now Alec had wiped out his signature bow. 

Magnus watched as Alec’s muscles flexed as he pulled the arrow back for firing, almost drooling over the sight. He shamelessly admired the sweat sticking to his body, making it glisten. His gaze mainly lingered on the abs, much to Alec’s amusement. It always surprised him that Magnus still looked at Alec like he was a Greek god, years into their relationship. Magnus traced the lines of his husband’s abs with his eyes noticing how they were still accentuated; despite not having followed his brutal training regime lately. Yeah alright, Magnus was drooling. Alec turned to Magnus with his hands on his hips. Along with the raised eyebrow, his lips quirked disbelievingly. They both broke out of the trance as the doorbell rang. 

As soon as they opened the door, Max came bounding inside. Alec couldn’t resist attaching himself to the kid; despite being filthy after training. Rafe trailed after his brother with a slight frown on his face. For some reason, his energy had depleted after playing, whereas under normal circumstances, he would return more energised. Alec shrugged it off, assuming he was tired but vowed to himself that he would ask later. That day at night, Alec tried asking Rafe only to be met with the sight of him sound asleep. Once Rafe heard the door being closed softly, he timidly opened an eye. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day the same situation repeated. The lingering sense of unease never left his side. He tried to steer Max away from the stranger, to no avail. With the way things were progressing, Rafe was beyond scared that their parents would find out soon. As usual, he was right. 

“Daddyyy we met this really cooool man,” Max blurted a few days later. That caused Rafael to freeze to the spot. He made wild gestures behind Alec’s back in an attempt to stop Max from spilling, but it was too late. His younger brother was already gushing all about their encounters. Alec listened with curiosity, at first filled with regret and horror that his kids were potentially in danger, while he was unaware, but it was determined that the guy was quite nice. 

“I think it’d be nice to meet your new friend,” Alec said, cheerfully. Max’s grin only stretched wider. 

“Do you hear big-bro, Daddy ‘n’ Papa meet our friend.” 

Usually, his brother’s infectious grin would spread to his face, but this time he could not erase the feeling of guilt that overcame him. He tried to smile; instead, it turned out as a grimace. 

“Okay, I have food set up on the table. I'll be with you in five minutes just let me discuss something with Papa,” Alec said. 

It was most likely irrational, but Rafe felt terrified. He wasn’t as blissfully ignorant as his brother to continue goofing around when the two of them could potentially be in huge trouble. However, more than that, he feared that he had put the whole family in danger, due to his carelessness. 

Alec walked into their shared bedroom, where Magnus was currently lounging. 

“The kids had fun?” Magnus asked.

“Hmm, sounds like it,” Alec mused. Then added, “Max was telling me about a new friend they made, but the problem is that we don’t know this guy who they have been hanging out with.”

Magnus stiffened at that, sitting up attentively. “Are the kids in any danger,” he fretted. 

“I know I was worried too but, honestly, the guy doesn’t sound bad,” Alec reassured, though the inkling of doubt lingered. Thinking it over, he decided the safest bet would be to meet this person. “I think it would be best to meet him as soon as possible,” Alec thought out loud.

“Yeah de-,” Magnus began only to break off with an exasperated sigh. “I can’t do it tomorrow, I have the whole day booked with appointments, but I’m sure I could cancel one or two.” 

After leaning in to kiss his husband’s forehead, he said, “Babe, it’s fine we can always meet him another day, we’ll keep the kids home tomorrow as extra precaution.”

Magnus sighed in defeat, agreeing to meet this mysterious person on their next free day.

When Alec returned to the dining room, he spotted Max’s plate already finished and devoid of vegetables (meaning that they were slipped into his elder brother’s dish) and Rafe chewing on the food in his mouth for the longest time. Cautiously, Alec placed a hand on his shoulder. Despite not meaning to scare him, the touch still produced a flinch. Alec let Rafe have a moment to compose himself while taking a seat next to him. However, for the little boy, every moment of silence was overwhelming. 

“Rafael, you know you should let us know when things like this happen, as soon as possible,” Alec chided gently. He had tried not to be too harsh, but it appeared that he had failed because Rafe was already in tears. The sobs escaped violently. Alec instantly pulled his kid to his chest, letting the tears soak his t-shirt. Whatever resolve of strictness had settled in his mind vanished as soon as he saw Rafe’s upset face. The word ‘guilt’ was stamped on his forehead in bold letters. He was just a kid after all, and kids make mistakes just like adults. The most important thing for Alec was that Rafael and Max were safe. 

“Hey, little dude, it’s fine I trust you. You are the best big brother and a very responsible kid,” Alec comforted. 

For a moment, Alec thought he had mishandled the situation, seeing more tears leak from the boy's eyes, but a small smile had bloomed on his face. It took a while before the stream of tears came to an end, and Rafe was able to utter words.

“I’m sorry,” Rafe apologised sincerely. 

Alec shook his head to express that an apology was not necessary. Then, he lifted Rafe over his shoulders, making the boy giggle weakly. 

“Te amo, little Rafael,” Alec whispered. 

To Alec, Rafe’s face was not visible, but Magnus caught the look on his face. One of relief, which was overthrown by a grin wide enough to split his face. It warmed Magnus’ heart, observing his family interact comfortably with each other. His family. Even after all these years, it sounded foreign to his ears; because he had never expected to love someone enough to have a family with them. Yes, he was 800 years old, but the thought of settling down had repulsed Magnus until he met Alec. Now he couldn’t think of anything other than keeping his family safe and intact. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Magnus had expected, he was busy entertaining people demanding him to complete their wishes, the whole day. So was Alec, but he had tried to reduce his workload to pay attention to the kids. Rafe looked more relaxed on that particular day, waltzing to softly playing Spanish music. A few minutes ago, when Alec had poked his head out of the office room, Rafe and Max were dancing together - they seemed to be having a lot of fun. Later, when he checked, they had stopped dancing - Rafe was still nodding along to the music - and Max was almost vibrating with anticipation as he stared out the window. Alec left his spot for a moment, wanting to have to discover whatever had caught his little boy’s attention, but he couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. 

‘Odd,’ he thought to himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It occurred to him a day later, when they had arranged to meet the mysterious friend the kids had made, that in some ways Max’s behaviour was not odd as, most likely, he had been searching for the man. Around the hour that the kids usually headed out to play, the family awaited the man’s arrival. Max, having an observant eye, was the first one to spot him, excitedly pointing in the stranger’s direction. 

“Daddy, there he is!” Rafe nodded to confirm. 

The man appeared in Alec’s line of sight after being pointed out to him. While the guy was lean, he wasn’t particularly muscular, which allowed Alec to cross off Shadowhunter from his ‘analysis of stranger’ checklist (since most Shadowhunters were well-built from consistent training). However, to his surprise, the man had identical features to his: most notably the black hair and blue eyes. Unlike Alec's permanent messy hair - caused by his habit of running his finger through his hair - the stranger’s hair was slightly slicked back imitating Magnus’ hairstyle. He narrowed his eyes with distaste observing how the look did not suit this man. The colour of the man’s eyes appeared to be blue, but they were so dark that if it were not for the light shining on them, Alec might have mistaken it for black. They contrasted Alec’s lighter hues, but more prominent ones also giving the stranger a colder look (this being thought of by the King of Coldness himself). 

Magnus, who stood a little behind Alec along with the kids due to Alec’s overprotective behaviour, stepped forward to get a better look at the person. The resemblance to Alec surprised him at first before he realised what blue eyes and black hair in his history signified. Once realisation settled in, Magnus reeled slightly. 

“Cyrus,” Magnus gasped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorrryyy for not updating this story in a while. It was all my fault :) ~Skye

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :). Kudos are very much appreciated. We’d love to read the comments you guys leave; they'd really keep us motivated.


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